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Masks not needed outdoors, community sport to resume as restrictions ease

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Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says virus restrictions in the southeast can ease from 4pm on Friday.

“I really want to thank everybody for doing the right thing, and today we have zero community cases in Queensland, so well done Queensland. Fantastic job,” she said.

From Friday afternoon, home gatherings of up to 30 people will be allowed and up to 100 guests can attend weddings and funerals.

Indoor events and stadiums with ticketed seating will operate at 75 per cent capacity and community sport can restart.

However, social distancing rules in cafes and restaurants will be reviewed next week.

The Premier also urged people to continue wearing face masks indoors.

“This is our added protection against the Delta variant, and I think it’s a small price to pay for some easing of our restrictions,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

However, concern about the spread of the Delta variant has led the state to shut its border with New Zealand and tighten its already-closed border with NSW.

From 1am on Thursday inbound passengers from NZ will go into 14-day hotel quarantine after four new Delta cases emerged there.

The NSW border will be strengthened after that state recorded 633 new locally-acquired cases on Wednesday.

“There are too many people crossing the border, so that means we want to put even tighter restrictions on our border,” the premier said.

“It only takes one person crossing the border with Delta, and we’re into a lockdown.”

Only essential workers such as police, health workers and certain construction workers who have had one dose of a vaccine will be allowed to cross into Queensland from 1am on Saturday.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the definition of “essential” would be reviewed for Queensland workers living in NSW.

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The director-general of the premier’s department Rachel Hunter will conduct the review and new restrictions will come into effect next week.

“I’ll be blunt, I do not want the risk of Delta coming into Queensland,” she said.

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said police would continue the “very rigid application” of public health orders at the border checkpoints.

“We’re hearing lots of sad stories around how this impacts on people, I’m terribly sorry about that; we are going to continue to do that,” he said.

“You must meet the requirements to enter the state or you’re simply not entering.”

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Dr Young said border closures and lockdowns remain the best health responses to outbreaks until 70 per cent of the population is vaccinated.

“Then people will be able to go about their lives,” she said.

“Otherwise, I can see in the future that the people who aren’t vaccinated, are going to have to minimise their lives to protect their own health and safety.”

Queensland recorded one new COVID-19 case in hotel quarantine and four new cases on a liquefied natural gas tanker off the coast on Wednesday.

 

 

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